After Arlington Heights crash, driver charged with going around crossing gates

An Arlington Heights driver whose car was struck by a Metra train Monday was cited for driving around the railroad crossing gates, Metra officials said.

The driver, Kelly O'Brien, 60, was charged by Metra police with one count of disobeying an activated crossing, according to spokeswoman Meg Reile.

If found guilty, O'Brien could face up to a $500 fine for a first offense, under state law.

She escaped serious injury late Monday morning when the commuter train struck her Jeep SUV near the busy intersection of Northwest Highway and Arlington Heights Road in downtown Arlington Heights, authorities said.

Firefighters freed her from her vehicle, which was struck by an inbound Metra train at 11:36 a.m., officials said.

O'Brien and a passenger on the train were taken to Northwest Community Hospital with minor injuries, according to the Arlington Heights Fire Department.

The crash involved Train No. 642, which was scheduled to stop at the downtown Arlington Heights station at 11:32 a.m. and arrive at 12:23 p.m. at the Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago.

The train pushed the white SUV about 500 feet down from the intersection with Arlington Heights Road. The vehicle remained upright as the train came to a stop, traveling on the middle of three tracks.

"If (the train) had been going faster, (the car) probably would've flipped," Reile said.

Emergency first responders were quick to arrive to the crash scene, which is just behind the police and fire headquarters and village hall. Reile said Arlington Heights authorities handed over the investigation to Metra police after 1 p.m.

Metra halted all inbound and outbound trains, resulting in extensive delays throughout the afternoon.

Authorities advised drivers to avoid the area during the crash investigation, which lasted for much of the early afternoon. But trains were back to their normal operating schedule before rush hour.